Men’s century final – Saqib Mahmood turns his eyes to the limelight after a two-year injury layoff.

So here he was at Lord’s, floodlights flying in front of 28,860 punters performing. A re-introduction on the big stage. A comeback for a player who has been here for years.

At that point, a timeout was called. But on that occasion an inswinger put the heat away and – after a confident review – confirmed a duck in four balls. Mahmoud had long waited for nights like this. What’s another five minutes? And just like that, the most feared finisher of the match was over.

Billings was spot on in his post-match assessment: „You’ve got one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and you toast him out there.” Evans was removed for good measure after two balls, a relatively tame one – the stumps were pushed upwards with an audible groan over the mic – but it bore the marks of a thunderbolt, alert to the spell he had discovered, and the atmosphere the bowler had created.

The Invincibles picked him up in 2021 when his iconic contract with Manchester Originals – his „home” club – postponed the Hunter’s first season to 2020 due to Covid. At £60,000, he’s not cheap, and an unforgiving system may have cut him loose. Contracted with Lancashire and overseen by the ECB with a series of fastball and development deals, Mahmoud Invisibles did not need a third parent.

But in south London, as they’ll tell you, „consistency breeds confidence”, even for a team that’s only really been around for a month a year. And they saw that Mahmoud had no obstacle in their balance sheet, which was too much to play with the man. „The reverse-swing ability, the talent level and the man … it was a very easy decision to back him,” Billings said, and Mahmoud immediately thanked him.

“The boys got two [titles]But at least I’ve got my own,” Mahmood added, feeling emotional enough to consider the past two years of labor „a bit of a blur” and those periods must have been hell.

“Watching guys lift it last year, you want to be a part of it. It’s days like this when you work hard and try to get back on the park.

„After watching it last year and missing out on England tours, World Cups and things like that, those are the occasions you want to be a part of. And, yes, I’m glad I was a part of it. It was today.”

Unsurprisingly, Mahmoud is reluctant to talk about what happens next. Cricketers are superstitious. But as the match-hero medallion and winner’s medal clung to his neck, he allowed himself to think aloud about getting back to where he once was, doing what he could to hold back a broad smile and tears under his eyes.

He expects to play Championship cricket this weekend, when Lancashire play Surrey at home, with an eye on a T20 bombshell win, but he can’t resist talking about his return to the top. „[I’ve got] Also a look at England’s series against Australia.

There is every possibility to happen. Not just because that white ball promises to clash with the end of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, but in evidence on Sunday evening, his quality has not faded.

At 27, he’s young enough to have all corners of the game open to him, but he’s experienced enough to know that none of them can be taken for granted. But now, having embraced the darkness, Mahmoud is ready to shine brighter than ever.